since published) and Le Braz gives a useful list of
other manuscripts in the bibliographical appendix to his _Theatre
celtique_. A few of these plays belong to the Middle Breton period. The
_Life of St Nonn_, the mother of St David, belongs to the end of the
15th century, and follows the Latin life (published by Ernault in the
_Revue celtique_, viii. 230 ff., 405 ff.). _Le Grand Mystere de Jesus_
(1513) follows the French play of Arnoul Gresban and Jean Michel
(published by H. de la Villemarque, Paris, 1865). A French original is
also followed in the _Mystere de Sainte Barbe_ (1st ed., 1557, 2nd ed.,
1647, reprinted by Ernault, Nantes, 1885). These mystery plays may be
divided into four categories according to the subjects with which they
deal: (1) Old Testament subjects; (2) New Testament subjects; (3) lives
of saints; (4) romances of chivalry. There is occasionally a dash of
local colouring in these plays; but the subject matter is taken from
French sources or, in the case of the third category, from Latin lives.
Even when the life of a Breton saint, e.g. St Gwennole, is dramatized,
the treatment is the traditional one accorded to all saints of whatever
origin. Amongst the most favourite subjects in addition to those already
mentioned we may note the following: _Vie des quatre fils Aymon_, _Ste
Tryphine et le roi Arthur_, _Huon de Bordeaux_, _Vie de Louis Eunius_,
_Robert le Diable_. These mysteries commonly contain from 5000 to 9000
lines of either 12 or 8 syllables apiece. For the sake of completeness
we may add the names of three farces, described by Le Braz: _Ar Farvel
goapaer_ (_Le bouffon moqueur_), _Ian Melarge_ (_Mardi-gras_), _La Vie
de Mardi-gras, de triste Mine, sa femme, et de ses enfants_. The actors,
who were always peasants, came to be regarded with an unfavourable eye
by the clergy, who finally succeeded in killing the Breton stage.

We look in vain for any manifestation of originality in Breton
literature until we reach the 19th century. The consciousness of
nationality then awakened and found expression in verse.

The movement led by Le Gonidec (described above in the section on Breton
language) caused ardent patriots to endeavour to create a national
literature, more especially when the attention of the whole world of
letters was directed to Brittany after the publication of the _Barzas
Breiz_. The most prominent of these pioneers were Auguste Brizeux, F.M.
Luzel and Prosper Proux. Brizeux (1803-185